other blogs by rob::

Friday, January 27, 2012

Yesterday I wrote about the things that I geek out on, today I'd like to share some of the fun things that my 7-year-old Jane particularly loves:

:: hello kitty
We have hello kitty everything- especially tiny little figures and the houses that they live in. Sometimes all of the houses and kitties get together in the living room to form a kitty-city.

:: the color pink
Everything is pink in Jane's world.

:: cherry lollipops
Her candy of choice.

:: Calico Critters
These little figures used to only be sold in local toy stores like wooden horse- now you can find them in Toys r Us and Barnes and Noble. She loves them.

:: roller-coasters
She's a ride-warrior. She'll ride those all day long at Great America, the boardwalk, Happy Hollow and sometimes Disneyland.

:: Nintendo DS
She plays little kid games on this for long stretches at a time. Gamer.

:: Santa Cruz KOA
My kid likes coasters and camping. Did she get any of my genes?! She would rather go here than Disneyland!

:: Toy Story
We've seen these movies a trillion times. They have influenced an upcoming series for 678 called 'I am His.' She could quote those movies from start to finish-

:: bookstore cats
Most used bookstores have a very lazy and friendly cat that lives in them. While dad is browsing the local history section, Jane is usually charming the bookstore cat with conversation and head-scratches. She makes an effort to ask each bookstore owner if they have a cat, what the cat's name is and where the cat can be found. The cat on the right is Bob who lives a Recycle Books in Campbell.

:: TV-
Jane loves the strangest shows: Wipeout, Wheel of Fortune and America's Funniest Home Videos. She watches a bunch of kid-shows too.

:: books!
She likes quite a few books about pigs: the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillio, and of course, Amanda Pig books by Jean Van Leeuwen!:: a few others include:french fries, dairy queen and her name in print- all of these things are super-cool according to my kid.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

I'm always looking for a good ice-breaker question. My latest go-to is "what do you geek-out on?" Or in other words, "what is that subject that you are fascinated with; that once you start talking about, you can't stop?" I find that this is a great way to learn about someone.
Here are about 10 things that I currently geek out on in no particular order. If you know me well or read this blog these won't be a big surprise to you.

:: U2
I love these guys. I have all of their albums. I have every book ever written about them. I've lost count how many times I've seen them live. I love going to U2 shows because its an arena full of people just like me- geeking out on the best band ever. Its like coming home to my home town. We all seem to understand each other and speak the same language. We have shared history.

:: local history
I love to know the stories of how streets got their names and who were the first people in town and what brought them here. I love hearing about where they shopped and worshipped and lived. I have been fascinated with the histories of Modesto, San Jose, New Almaden, Los Gatos, San Francisco, the gold country and the beautiful golden state of California. I spend much time and effort collecting and reading local history books, and visiting their sites and museums. Used book stores always have the best local history books. One of my favorite shows about California history is California's Gold with Huell Howser.

:: kindles
I'm a kindle-evangelist. I have an original kindle, the kindle fire, and kindle for blackberry. Its a very enjoyable way to read a book. I recommend them often and often find myself talking about them a little too much.

:: 1st century biblical history
I love the story of the apostles, the early church and the land and culture that the church was born into. I also love the story of the Maccabees and the time in between the old and new testaments of the bible. If there is a book, documentary or podcast that focuses on these times, cultures and characters, I either have it, seen it or heard it. One of my favorite shows about biblical archaeology and the 1st century is the N*ked Archaeologist on the History Channel. I'm a geek for this stuff.

:: hardware and fixing stuff
I enjoy hardware stores, and I enjoy using tools to fix or upgrade something. I find myself just wandering in hardware store and checking out all of the cool things and options that they have. I love watching shows about fixing and building things, especially New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abram.

:: Local options for kids
When I meet a dad who is new to San Jose I usually start telling them about all of the great options for kids in the South Bay- and I can tell that my enthusiasm is a little overwhelming. I geek out on cool spots like Children's Discovery Museum, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Happy Hollow, Gilroy Gardens, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Oak Meadow Park and the Jungle. All of these sites are a delight to families and have their own rich histories.

:: Disneyland
Disneyland is fascinating. Its history is fascinating. I love to go there with my family, and I love learning the secrets and stories behind every detail.

:: TV-
I've mentioned a few shows already- but 2 show that I seriously geek out on (and are unfortunately no longer on the air) are Heroes and Alias. I've seen every episode of those shows; and when I saw them live, they always left me breathless.

:: Movies-
I barely see any movies. I'm not opposed to them, I just rarely make time for them. There are a few movies that particularly interest me, and I enjoy learning about them: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mary Poppins, any of the Star Wars movies, and Goonies.

:: Dr. Seuss
This guy is so talented and profound, it makes me both awestruck and jealous. I use his material often in my teaching to the students.

:: the book of romansthere is a quote out there from Martin Luther that every Christian should memorize the book of romans and quote it every day. I'm with Martin on that one (we agree on some other things too).
:: a couple of cool guys-
Elvis Presley-
and
Fred Rogers
I love these guys. Once I start talking or reading about either of them, its hard to stop.

I've geeked out on a bunch of stuff over the years, but this is my list right now. I love discovering something new to geek out on. I guess that makes me a little geeky. What about you? Do you have a blog? How about you make your list of geek-outs and share them with me? Send me a link to your list in the comments section below. (Sorry if its a pain to leave a comment- I was getting a bunch of dirty-ads in the comments!)
Geeks are cool!
God is love.
-rev-rob